Horseback riding lesson trainers
The trainers behind beginner to advanced hunter/jumper and dressage instruction in Raleigh, NC
The right horseback riding trainer believes in you. They know you can get where you want to be, and they have the skill to coach you through what it takes to get there. Whether your dream is to compete at NCHJA Medal Finals or simply to learn to post on the correct diagonal, MacNair's has a trainer who can help you reach it. Tap any trainer to read their full story.
Meet our trainers
No trainers match that filter.
A trainer for every rider
With nine trainers across our two barns, there is someone here for every kind of rider. Some are nervous first-timers, some are teens chasing medal finals, and some are adults returning to the saddle after years away. A good trainer does more than teach position and pace. They believe in you, and they know how to get you where you want to go. Finding the right one for you is something we take real care to get right.
Trainer FAQ
How are riders matched with a trainer?
We match each rider with a trainer and a lesson group based on their level, their goals, and their schedule. Every new or returning rider begins with our Rider Interest Form. Experienced riders coming from another program fill it out too, and we then schedule an evaluation ride so a trainer can see where they are and recommend the right group. Beginners start at the Legacy Barn and move to the Top Barn as they progress.
Can I request a specific trainer?
You are welcome to tell us if you have a preference, and we will do our best to honor it. Placement also depends on which trainer teaches your level, the days and times that fit your schedule, and where there is an opening. The best first step is to share your goals and availability, and we will find the right fit.
How do I get started?
The first step for any new or returning rider is our Rider Interest Form. Fill it out and we will follow up to talk through your goals and, for experienced riders, set up an evaluation ride.
Who is the head trainer at MacNair's?
Sarah Garcia is our Head Trainer. She teaches riders in the board and lease programs at the Top Barn and leads the MacNair's Show Team.
Who teaches beginner riders?
Beginner riders learn at the Legacy Barn with Mattie Johnson, Saige Grande, and Samantha Clegg, who specialize in teaching new and young riders. Beginners ride our calm, dependable school horses. Mattie and Saige also direct our summer camp, and Saige leads the Legacy Club, our youth horsemanship club.
Who teaches intermediate and advanced riders?
Intermediate and advanced riders train at the Top Barn. Kelly Clement and Sara Hamilton teach our intermediate and advanced lesson riders, and Head Trainer Sarah Garcia works with board and lease riders at that level.
Do you have a dressage trainer?
Yes. Laura Pendleton teaches dressage at the Top Barn. She is a USDF bronze and silver medalist who has competed through Prix St. Georges. Dressage lessons with Laura are available to riders in our board and lease programs, not to lesson-program students.
Who leads the Show Team?
Head Trainer Sarah Garcia leads the MacNair's Show Team, traveling with board and lease riders to rated hunter, equitation, and jumper competitions. You can learn more on the Show Team page.
Who coaches the IEA team?
The MacNair's IEA team is coached by Madison Rigney. The team competes in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association and is run through MacNair's and the Triangle IEA Foundation, a separate nonprofit. You can read more on the IEA team page.
Who runs the summer camp and the Legacy Club?
Mattie Johnson and Saige Grande direct our summer horseback riding camp, and Saige also leads the Legacy Club, a youth horsemanship club where young riders deepen their horse care and handling skills beyond their weekly lessons.
Do your trainers yell at or belittle riders?
No. The horse world has a reputation for harsh, yelling coaches, and we have built our program to be the opposite. Our trainers teach with encouragement and patience, because that is what develops confident, capable riders and happy, well-trained horses. They explain the why behind every exercise, not just the what, so riders understand their horses and their own progress. A lesson here should feel supportive, never belittling.
My child wants to jump higher and move up quickly. How fast will they advance?
Riders move up when they are truly ready, not before. A trainer recommends the next step once the foundation is there, and we gently hold the line on that even when a rider or parent is eager, because pushing a young rider ahead too fast tends to create fear and gaps that take much longer to undo. Our lesson horses jump no higher than 2 feet with mandatory flat days built in. Riders ready for more can explore our lease and board programs, which open up jumping above 2 feet and also make dressage lessons with Laura Pendleton available. The aim is a rider who is safe, solid, and still loving the sport years from now.
What does it take to move up to a more advanced group?
More than riding skill alone. We believe the best riders are the best horsemen, so moving up is not only about how well you sit the trot or ask for the canter. It is also about how confidently you groom and tack your own horse, how you handle a horse while leading it out for turnout, and how well you understand what your horse needs. Our trainers weigh all of it together, holistically, when they decide a rider is ready to advance.
How do you work with young or nervous riders?
Patiently, and with safety first. Beginners learn at the Legacy Barn on calm, dependable school horses with an assistant close by, and we build confidence one step at a time. Some riders dream of the show ring and some simply love being around horses, and both belong here. We never rush a rider who is nervous, and we let trust grow at its own pace.
Start with the right trainer
Tell us about your riding history and your goals, and we will match you with a trainer and a lesson group that fit. New riders and returning riders are equally welcome.
Questions? office@macnairscountryacres.com • (919) 851-1118
Sarah Garcia is the Head Trainer at MacNair's, working exclusively with riders in the board and lease programs at our Top Barn.
Sarah is passionate about building a positive, supportive place to learn. She believes encouragement and patience are what develop confident, capable riders and happy, well-trained horses, and she teaches riders not just what to do but the why behind every exercise, so their horsemanship runs deeper. Too many riders who train and compete at high levels come to believe that every trainer will yell and belittle and pick them apart. Sarah is living proof that it simply does not have to be that way.
One of the most rewarding parts of Sarah's equestrian career is the breeding program she built. She led her stallion, Gradioso, through the demanding process of stallion licensing, then, after careful selection, identified the one cross that produced Glissandi, an exceptional horse she describes as her horse of a lifetime. Sarah also leads the MacNair's Show Team, traveling with boarders to rated USEF "A" and NCHJA "C" shows across North Carolina.
Teaches at the Top Barn • Works with board and lease riders • Specialties hunter/jumper training, show coaching, horse breeding
Erin "Fern" May is MacNair's Barn Manager and a horse trainer at the Top Barn. Her primary role is overseeing barn operations, including coordinating health care and training for the 100 plus horses on-site.
In that role Fern carries out training rides for horses who are learning new skills, and she occasionally steps in to teach riders who are working through a challenge or focusing on a specific new proficiency. She also works as a groom for the Show Team when they travel to off-site rated shows.
Fern challenges her students to see their horse as a true partner, and to understand the horse's physical and psychological needs during training. That understanding helps riders support their horse through new and difficult moments in the saddle. If that sounds like all business, it is not. As anyone at MacNair's will tell you, a Fern lesson is a FUN lesson. Her energy is infectious, and there are few better feelings than hearing Fern holler "YES! Good for you!" the moment you finally do the thing you have been working toward. She brings a wonderfully varied riding history to the barn, everything from leading trail teams in the Rocky Mountains to competing in the War Horse Eventing series on her own horse, Vagabond.
Teaches at the Top Barn • Specialties barn management, training rides, horse care and welfare, eventing
Laura Pendleton is MacNair's dressage trainer, working with riders in the board and lease programs.
Laura helps riders in every discipline bring dressage into their work, so their horse stays engaged and supple and their contact stays correct. She believes the best teachers are always learning, and she regularly attends clinics to sharpen and refine her technique. Some riders picture dressage as strict or formal, but Laura's common-sense teaching and friendly, approachable manner make it accessible to riders of all ages and ability levels.
As a seasoned equestrian, Laura has met and overcome countless challenges, from training a Standardbred to master jumping to earning high scores at prestigious USDF competitions. Her career highlights include earning her bronze and silver USDF medals and competing at the Prix St. Georges level with her horses Vico, Jolt, and San Amani.
Teaches at the Top Barn • Works with board and lease riders in all disciplines • Specialties dressage, flatwork, USDF competition
Kelly Clement teaches intermediate and advanced lessons at the Top Barn. With a decades-long history of riding, showing, and training across many disciplines, she believes riders of every level benefit from returning often to the basics. Her students are only half joking when they say they can recite her mantra, "Rhythm, Position, Geometry!", in their sleep.
Riders who want to develop better contact and an independent seat thrive under Kelly's instruction. She has a rare gift for helping riders understand their own body mechanics, and how their physical strengths and weaknesses shape their riding, which is what lets her students excel in the complex patterns and grids she builds her lessons around. She is also wonderful at helping anxious adults return to riding after years out of the saddle.
When she is not at the barn, you will find Kelly supporting local businesses at craft fairs or caring for the animals at her home farm. Her loyalty to the people and animals she loves is second to none, and it shows: many riders Kelly taught as children now bring their own children to her for lessons.
Teaches at the Top Barn • Specialties intermediate and advanced instruction, rider biomechanics, returning adult riders
Sara Hamilton teaches intermediate and advanced lessons at the Top Barn, and she has the heart of a teacher. Before joining MacNair's full time, she spent many years teaching at a local elementary school, and that instinct shows in every lesson.
Riders who train with Sara benefit from her thoughtful, progressive approach. She structures each exercise so a rider works right at their current level, then moves on to a harder challenge once they have mastered the last one. That steady build gives riders real confidence and a clear sense of how their skills are developing. She is a true champion for her students, and the bright smile she wears when a rider finally reaches a hard-won goal is nothing short of heartwarming. When she is not at the barn, Sara enjoys time with her sons and her rescue pets.
Winning IHSA Regional Finals and placing fourth at Zone Finals while earning her BS in Equine Studies from Lake Erie College was a career highlight for Sara. She is also proud to have previously coached both the UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State University IHSA teams.
Teaches at the Top Barn • Specialties intermediate and advanced instruction, progressive lesson structure, confidence building
Mattie Johnson teaches beginner lessons at the Legacy Barn and is a director of our summer horseback riding camp. Many of the advanced riders at our farm began right here with her. If you see a talented teen ride a 2 foot 6 course with real style and ask who first taught them, odds are the answer is "Miss Mattie!"
Mattie began riding at MacNair's in 1993 and has been riding and teaching here ever since. Her top priority is making sure her youngest beginners learn to safely handle horses through every part of grooming, tacking, and riding. Her clear, straightforward methods are perfect for students who thrive on knowing exactly what to do.
If you are not a horsey parent, the thought of your small child spending time with a 1,000 pound animal can be nerve-wracking. Once you meet Mattie, those fears ease. She stays calm and composed no matter what the day brings.
Teaches at the Legacy Barn • Also a Summer Camp Director • Specialties beginner instruction, horse handling and safety, youth riders
Saige Grande teaches beginner lessons at the Legacy Barn and is a Summer Camp Director at our summer horseback riding camp. She believes young riders do their best when they are encouraged to explore and try new things.
Saige also runs the Legacy Club, a youth horsemanship club where young riders deepen their knowledge of horse care, handling, and horsemanship beyond their weekly lessons.
Her engaging teaching style centers on building confidence and a deep appreciation for horses. Through carefully designed lessons and fun trail rides, she gives riders the skills and the self-assurance to pursue their goals both in and out of the saddle. Safety is her top priority, and she knows that children who learn to understand horse behavior are better able to manage horses on the ground and in the saddle. Her focus on the hows and whys of what horses do empowers her students to communicate clearly with their equine partners.
Saige grew up immersed in the equestrian world and honed her skills in both English and Western disciplines. She is proud to have trained her two horses, Wallace and Winston, and a mule named Moonshine, from when they were young, and she earned a Top 8 finish at IEA Western Nationals.
Teaches at the Legacy Barn • Also Summer Camp Director and Legacy Club leader • Specialties beginner instruction, horse behavior, youth riders
Samantha Clegg teaches beginner lessons at the Legacy Barn. In just a few years of teaching at MacNair's, she has built a devoted following of students who adore her.
Samantha's years competing in the Hunter show ring, together with her sweet and nurturing manner, make her a wonderful trainer for young riders who have big goals and need a patient, accommodating teacher to help them get there.
You will not find shy students afraid to speak up in Samantha's classes. She empowers even her youngest riders with the confidence to ask questions and to advocate for themselves, a skill she knows will serve them well both at the barn and out in the world.
Teaches at the Legacy Barn • Specialties beginner instruction, hunters, youth riders
Madison Rigney coaches the MacNair's IEA team. She loves helping young riders build the physical and mental strength to chase their dreams in the show ring and beyond.
With all the games and challenges she folds into practice, her riders are usually having too much fun to notice how much they are learning. Her calm demeanor and easygoing warmth are beloved by MacNair's riders and horses alike.
The team benefits from Madison's own history as an IEA competitor throughout her high school years. Since then, her riding highlights include winning the NCHJA Medal Final in her last year competing as an amateur, aboard her horse Daisy Duke, whom she produced from a young age.
Coaches the MacNair's IEA team • Specialties IEA team coaching, youth riders • LinkedIn